CVE-2024-31983
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in XWiki Platform allows users with edit rights to modify translations without proper authorization, bypassing script or admin rights normally required. If exploited, it can lead to remote code execution when translation values aren't properly escaped. Affects XWiki installations with multilingual features enabled.
💻 Affected Systems
- XWiki Platform
📦 What is this software?
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
Xwiki by Xwiki
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Unauthorized content modification, privilege escalation, or limited code execution within the XWiki context.
If Mitigated
Only authorized users can edit translations, preventing unauthorized modifications and code execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires authenticated user with edit rights. The vulnerability bypasses authorization checks for translation editing.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 14.10.20, 15.5.4, or 15.10RC1
Vendor Advisory: https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-xxp2-9c9g-7wmj
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Backup your XWiki installation and database. 2. Download patched version from xwiki.org. 3. Follow XWiki upgrade documentation for your version. 4. Restart XWiki service. 5. Verify upgrade completed successfully.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict edit rights on translation documents
allLimit edit permissions on documents containing translations to prevent unauthorized users from exploiting the vulnerability.
Use XWiki rights management interface to restrict edit rights on translation documents
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls to limit edit rights on all documents, especially those containing translations.
- Monitor and audit all translation modifications for suspicious activity.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check XWiki version via Admin > About page or by examining xwiki.cfg file. If version is between 4.3-milestone-2 and before 14.10.20/15.5.4/15.10RC1, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
Check Admin > About page in XWiki web interface or examine ${xwiki.home}/xwiki.cfg fileVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify version shows 14.10.20, 15.5.4, or 15.10RC1 or higher. Test that users with only edit rights cannot modify translations without proper authorization.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unauthorized translation modifications
- Script execution attempts in translation fields
- Unusual edit patterns on translation documents
Network Indicators:
- POST requests to translation edit endpoints from unauthorized users
SIEM Query:
source="xwiki.log" AND ("translation" OR "script") AND ("edit" OR "modify") AND user NOT IN (authorized_users)🔗 References
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/2a9ce88f33663c53c9c63b2ea573f4720ea2efb9
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/73aef9648bbff04b697837f1b906932f0d5caacb
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/c4c8d61c30de72298d805ccc82df2a307f131c54
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-xxp2-9c9g-7wmj
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21411
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/2a9ce88f33663c53c9c63b2ea573f4720ea2efb9
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/73aef9648bbff04b697837f1b906932f0d5caacb
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/commit/c4c8d61c30de72298d805ccc82df2a307f131c54
- https://github.com/xwiki/xwiki-platform/security/advisories/GHSA-xxp2-9c9g-7wmj
- https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-21411
